FOREST SERVICE. 241 



boundary line a percentage loss equal to that of a defeated army. 

 Many that escaped the hunters perished from cold and starvation 

 before spring. The southern herd also lost heavily. As a result, the 

 total number of animals in these two herds is now estimated by the 

 best qualified officers in the Forest Service to equal one-half of their 

 number five years ago. 



The Poorest Service, in close cooperation with the Biological Sur- 

 vey, will continue to do all in its jjower to help preserve these great 

 herds from destruction by neglect. Congress should add to the 

 Absaroka and Gallatin Forests the lands still in Government owner- 

 ship now under withdrawal along the Yellowstone River north of 

 Gardiner, This land is urgently needed as winter range for the elk. 

 Local settlers need not be excluded from the continued use of this 

 range, for the small number of stock owned by them can easily be 

 taken care of without materially affecting the well-being of the elk. 

 If Congress makes the addition as recommended, its use by both game 

 and domestic stock can be worked out without injury or injustice to 

 any of the local residents. If this action is not taken the outlook for 

 the northern elk herd is gloomy indeed. The prospects for the south- 

 ern herd are more bright ; but additional purchases of land for winter 

 feeding grounds appear absolutely essential. 



ROADS, TRAILS, AND OTHER IMPROVEMENTS. 



The mileage of road and trail construction during 1919 eclipsed 

 all previous figures. This is the more notable in view of the high cost 

 and scarcity of labor. The large amount of investigative and survey 

 work was carried on during 1918, when construction was restricted to 

 projects that would contribute toward the prosecution of the war, 

 aided materially in getting work under way early in 1919. This 

 was particularly true of administrative and protective roads and 

 trails. Special effort has been made to complete as quickly as possi- 

 ble the roads and trails essential to an effective system of fire protec- 

 tion; but although excellent progress has been made, a tremendous 

 amount of transportation development remains to be accomplished 

 before all danger points can be reached quickly. The accessibihty 

 of the forests for recreation has been greatly increased by the com- 

 pletion of many of the projects. 



Tiie following tabulation shows the number of miles of public 

 roads and trails constructed or improved during the calendar year 

 1919, and also the total at the close of the year. These figures include 

 the work surveyed and constructed under the immediate supervision 

 of the Bureau of Public Koads as well as that of the Forest Service: 



